Method of making play or game balls



Sept. 10, 1940. M. B. REACH METHOD OF MAKING PLAY 0R GAME BALLS Original Filed April 23, 1938 jwvenm Mz'iiaaz ZZ-flead,

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 METHOD OF MAKING PLAY OB GAME BALLS Milton Reach, Springfield, Mass.

Original application Apr-11.23, 1938, Serial No. 203,915. Divided and this application October 1939, Serial No. 302,248

Other'objects will appear hereinafter, the invention comprising the method steps as described 15 herein and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a ball produced according to the method of the invention.

20 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the same showing the channel seam in cross section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the finishing or covering means applied to the ball body or carcass, with the parts in position for the molding 25 operation according to the method of the invention..

Referring to the drawing, a grooved or channeled seam is indicated at l, comprising finishing or covering pieces or panels 2 overlying and se- 30 cured to the carcass or body portion 3 of the ball structure, the finishing members 2 preferably having their adjacent edges 4, reduced in thickness and shaped inwardly toward the body portion into substantially abutting relationship at 35 the lower portion or bottom of the channel or groove.

Desirably, the edges 4 may be reduced, as by skiving, preferably. on their undersides on.,-, an angle from a point within the extreme edges a 40 suitable distance, say about one quarter of an inch in some types of balls, such as a basketball.

In carrying out the method of the present invention in relation to a ball of the inflatable valved type, such as shown and described, for ex- 45 ample, in my Patent 2,116,479, dated May 3, 1938, after the carcass or body 3 of the ball is made and before cementing the finishing panels 2 in place thereon, the edges of the panels are preferaby skived as stated above and as indicated in 50 Fig. 3. The finishing panels, which are desirably of leather, are then cohesively applied as by cementing to the carcass with the featheredges 4, resulting from the skiving operation preferably slightly overlapping, as shown in Fig. 3.

56 With the covering or finishing pieces of material properly laid in place there is then cemented thereto, over the skived or reduced overlapping edges, a flexible means 5, preferably of rounded cross section, as also indicated in Fig. 3. The flexible means 5 may desirably be in the form 5 of a half round or round wire or a hard twisted twine or cord. The covering panels may desirably be of leather.

The ball with the flexible means adhesively applied to the finishing or covering panels at their skived or. reduced edges, is then placed in the mold with an inflatable interior, as by the provision of a bladder therein, and under the internal pressure of inflation and cure, the rounded flexible means is caused to imbed itself in contact with the reduced edges of the panels, carrying such skived edges inwardly into cohesive relation with the carcass, and thus forming the grooved or channeled seam. The 'ball is then removed from the mold and the flexible implementing means 5 is removed from the channel.

The resulting ball is thus provided with the covering or finishing material 2 applied to the carcass member throughout their contacting surfaces including the skived or reduced substantially abutting edges which are depressed to form the channeled seam. The. carcass desirably may comprise textile material which may be in the form of multiple laminations homogeneously bonded together, such as described in my Patent 2,116,479 dated May 3, 1938.

The-adhesive material may desirably be rubber cement desirably forming a rubber layer, as indicated at 6, which will readily flow and ensure bonding contact between the carcass and all portions of the under surfaces of the overlying flnishing and covering panels including the skived edge portions.

Preferably I employ means such as above described that will depress the skived edges and 40 form all channel seams simultaneously.

Also, the invention is not restricted to balls of the inflatable valved type such as for basketball; soccer and football, but also may be applied in like manner to a play or game ball of solid construction for providing a channel seam.

This application is a division of applicants copending application Serial No. 203,915, filed April 23, 1938.

I claim:

1. The hereindescribed method comprising reducing the edges of finishing or covering material to be applied to the' body or carcass of 'a play or game ball, applying the covering material cohesively to the carcass with the reduced edges adjacent to each other, adhesively applying a flexible cord or wire member overlying the adjacent reduced edges, and by a molding operation depressing said reduced edges by said flexible member intocohesive engagement with said carcass to form a channel or grooved seam.

2. The method according to claim 1 in which said adjacent reduced edges are disposed in slightly overlapping relationship to each other prior to the depressing of said edges.

3. The method according to claim 1 in which said adjacent reduced edges are reduced by skiving the under sides thereof and are disposed in slightly overlapping relationship to each other prior to the depressing of said edges.

4. The hereindescribedmethod comprising reducing the edges of finishing or covering material to be applied to the body or carcass of a play or game ball, cohesively applying the covering material to the carcass with the reduced edges adjoining, and by a molding operation in conjunction with depressing means depressing said reduced edges into cohesive engagement with said carcass to form a channel or grooved seam.

5. The hereindescribed method comprising 'reducing the edges of finishing or covering panels of material to be applied to the hollow body or carcass of a play ball of the inflatable valved type, cohesively applying the covering panels to the carcass with the reduced edges adjoining, cohesively applying a flexible-cord or wire member overlying the adjoining reduced edges, placing the ball in a mold and inflating the same and by the molding operation depressing said reduced edges by said flexible member into hesive engagement with said carcass to form a channel or grooved seam, removing the ball fromcovering material to be applied to the body or' carcass of a play or game ball, cohesively applying the covering material to the carcass with the reduced marginal edge portions in close juxtaposition, and by a molding operation in conjunction with depressing means depressing said reduced marginal edge portions into cohesive engagement with saidcarcass to form a channel or grooved seam.

7. The method of making an inflatable playing ball which includes taking a carcass, cementing thereon a plurality of casing sections having inwardly beveled marginal edges contacting each other for forming convex grooves, cementing cords to the surface of the casing sections substantially in registry with the median lines of the grooves, inflating the carcass in a mold to force the cords to depress the marginal edges of the casing sections to provide concave grooves, and removing the cord.

8. The method of making an inflatable playing ball, which consists in taking a carcass, cementing thereon a plurality of casing sections having inwardly beveled marginal edges adjoining each other, cementing a cord in registry over and along the lines of said adjoining edges, in.- flating the carcass in a mold to force such cord to depress said marginal edges to form grooves registering with the seams in said casing, and removing the cord.

9. The hereindescribed method comprising reducing the edges of finishing or covering material to be applied to the body or carcass of a play or game ball, cohesively applying the covering material to the carcass with the reduced edges adjoining, and by a molding operation depressing said reduced edges into cohesive engagement with said carcass to form a channel or grooved seam. I

MILTON B. REACH. 

